Quick Spicy Ramen Stir-Fry

Bouncy instant ramen noodles stir-fried in a light, spicy, savory sauce! This easy 5-minute spicy ramen stir-fry is so delicious and made with simple pantry ingredients. It's a great meal for those busy weeknights and works well as a side dish too!

This delicious Korean-inspired spicy ramen stir fry is made of instant ramen noodles, gochujang, gochugaru, sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic, and mirin.

This noodle dish serves well as a quick meal or as a side dish with dumplings or a protein of your choice with vegetables.

The best part about this recipe is that it comes together with minimal Asian pantry ingredients and it's a fast recipe made in one pot!

That's actually how I developed this recipe. I was running late from work and I needed something fast to eat and this truly hit the spot!

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements. 

• Instant ramen noodles: I like using a thicker noodle for extra chewiness but use what you have or enjoy! If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free instant ramen.

Noodle sauce

• Gochujang paste (pictured below): a Korean red chili paste made of red chili flakes, fermented soybean paste, glutinous rice and salt. It a thick red sweet and spicy paste that comes in a red tub sold at many Korean grocery stores in the sauce aisle. It comes in varying levels of spice from mild to hot. If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free gochujang.
• Fresh garlic
• Sesame oil
• Gochugaru: these are Korean red chili flakes that offer spice.
• Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
• Mirin: a popular sweet rice cooking wine used in Japanese cuisine. It’s sweeter than cooking sake and has a very low alcoholic taste. You can find this at most Asian or Japanese grocers.
• Honey: or maple syrup or white granulated sugar.
• Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils. 

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. In a small pot filled with 2 cups/500 ml of water, boil your ramen for 2 minutes and no more than that. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the noodle water. Strain the noodles.
3. On low-heat, pour the noodle sauce into the pot. Toss in the cooked instant noodles with the reserved noodle water and mix for 30 seconds (no more than that). Remove off heat and enjoy!

Pairing Suggestions

This spicy ramen stir-fry serves well with:

• Boiled, pan-fried or deep-fried dumplings
• Cooked Asian greens like bok choy, baby gai lan, or yu choy sum
• Boiled, scrambled or fried eggs
• Cooked tofu, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork

FAQ

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